Month: November, 2013

As the holidays draw near, there are a lot of people that are looking to volunteer for the less fortunate. While donating money is a great way to help those in need, it loses some of the sentiment from actually getting out there and donating your time. There are many places that would appreciate and welcome your time besides a soup kitchen, which can become over-staffed during the holidays.

Fish and Loaves – Taylor, MI: This seems like a wonderful place to start volunteering for someone who always says they are too busy to volunteer or they cannot because of specific time constraints. This organization is willing to work around your schedule and has new volunteer orientation every Monday at 11:30AM. They are working to help end hunger Downriver (Allen Park, Brownstown Township, Dearborn Heights, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor and Woodhaven) and help people get the food that some desperately need. For more information, you can go to http://www.downriverfishandloaves.org/volunteer.asp

Shelter to Home – Allen Park, MI: This is a great opportunity if you are a true animal lover, like myself. Shelter to Home is a rescue group from southeastern Michigan that saves animals from local shelters/pounds that would otherwise be euthanized due to over population. As a foster “parent” to this pet, you would just provide a loving home while the animal is waiting to be adopted. The rescue group would provide all food, litter (if necessary), and vet care. This helps the animal become adjusted to a home life and all that it includes, and helps make for a happier animal! For more information contact Rhonda, at volunteer@sheltertohome.com

Grace Hospice – Various Locations: Enhancing the lives of those who may be alone for the holidays, or just in need of a great smile or kind word. This volunteer opportunity is available in many different locations. Training must be done, but it is free of charge, and after completed you are able to volunteer where ever you would like, and as often as you would like. This is a great way to brighten up someone’s day ( and your own! ) For more information, go to http://ghospice.com/opportunities/

Habitat for Humanity ReStore – Monroe, MI: This offers a different type of volunteering: cleaning/organizing merchandise, answer phones, and assist customers. This organization is based out of Monroe, helping build homes for people of hard times so they are able to take pride in owning a beautiful home while building beautiful friendships. This is a weekend event, if you are unable to volunteer for this portion, they have other open events that are actually helping construct the houses! For more information, go to http://habitatmonroemi.volunteerhub.com/Events/Index

Road to Recovery – Southfield, MI: This is a great opportunity for those of you who enjoy driving and having a nice conversation. That is basically all this volunteering involves! This helps ambulatory cancer patients to and from cancer treatments, who are unable to drive or do not have proper transportation. This is a great way to help out someone who is truly in need, and you may make a new friend along the way! This is also another opportunity that are you able to use your own schedule for, and can volunteer any time. For more information, go to http://www.cancer.org/treatment/supportprogramsservices/road-to-recovery

While these are only a few options, there are also many more! These don’t include things such as local churches or Salvation Army, or Toys for Tots. I was hoping to find different opportunities that may interest different people. These are all awesome opportunities for helping someone (or some little animal) truly in need! While it’s great to volunteer year-round, or as often as possible, I know that during the Holiday season people are more adept to volunteering and the giving spirit. If you have access to read this, whether it’s from your home computer, lap top, cell phone, or tablet – you have so much to be thankful for! Why not share your time with someone who is not as fortunate?

If you have children, are they the center of your universe? Does your whole day revolve around what they are doing or what they want to do? According to this mom, you should not let your kids become the center of your world. When I first read the opening paragraph of this blog entry, I wanted to quit reading. Clearly this lady had no idea what she was talking about, and was too selfish to be a mom…then I kept reading. She goes on to explain that your kids are not the center of any universe, this one or others. She mentions that it is also important to still be who you were before having kids, whether it be a wife, a girlfriend, a friend, just yourself. Not to become so wrapped up in the mom role that you forget what length your hair is because it’s always thrown up in a ponytail or what clothes are in your closet besides something that wouldn’t show puke or spit when running errands. The writer explains how the culture has changed so drastically, how the kids of this generation are going to grow up not able to function normally in society because they were brought up to be self-sufficient (ie: work it out for themselves, let them find their lost toy, cry it out for a while). Now I am all about giving my child whatever she needs, but she is 9 months old, she still relies on me for everything – and I’m definitely okay with that. But, I also know that in a few years I’m going to have to endure the hardship of letting go a little — letting her become her own person. As much as I want to shove her in a bubble, and protect her from this crazy world we live in, I cannot wait to see the person she is going to become, I know it will be wonderful.